


Heath

by MutsumiMaeno



Series: Shipping Shin with Best Boys [5]
Category: Yandere Simulator (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Backstory, Club Hopping, Convenient Amnesia, Fluff, Gay, Headcanon, Hurt/Comfort, Light Swearing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-10-11 16:10:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17450144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MutsumiMaeno/pseuds/MutsumiMaeno
Summary: The Fifth and final installment of the series! Woo! It's done!This time, it's dedicated to Taro/Shin. This idea has been swimming in my head for a while and had a great difficulty on how to approach it but finally it's done.This one-shot attempts to give the Taro/Shin a backstory. IT means it's not canon.





	Heath

Taro Yamada

That's who I am, a mere observer to this world. A mirror that reflects what the other person wants to see. I leave things as is and hope for the best. All I could limit myself to do was observe and not act. I'm skilled in everything, but a master of nothing.

I wandered the halls once more, looking at the club signs in hope that some sort of miracle-like situation would happen. Looking down at my hands, I counted the clubs I had joined and left in just two months in my second year in this school.

My left eye twitched in confusion. “I’ve joined and quit four clubs in just two months? Wow…”

I shook my head in amusement. This is just lame of me. All I’ve been doing is basically club-hopping. I frowned at myself when a silly thought popped into my mind.

“You better not go girl-hopping Taro. Girls aren’t organizations that you can just join and leave at will…” I muttered jokingly at myself and snickered.

That’s so funny, as if someone’s gonna fall in love with me. Maybe if some god decided that I’m plain enough to be a harem protagonist, maybe.

I cringed at the thought. I hope my character is not written by a _bad author…_

My feet continued to move as I tried to erase that thought away. As I trudged through the club-filled halls, my mind couldn’t help but remind me on what happened in the past two months.

* * *

The Light Music Club was a fun place to be. It was the first club I joined during the start of the year. The songs are slow and light, easing up tension and was over-all delightful. Though, it changed when the wallflower became the leader and now the room is just buzzing with rock music. It’s simply not my taste and so… I left, leaving the Light Music Club without a pianist.

Though looking at how the wallflower became a star over a single day was amazing. I’m sure that an another miracle will happen soon and they’ll find someone els. One more suited to play by their style than me, a normal, Plain Jake who likes to be invisible than to stand out.

The second club was the Cooking Club. Although the President was nice, I simply could not find myself to fit in with them. I was good at following instructions, but can’t make my own recipe or even specialty. I was not better than them, nor can I see myself on any of their levels. So I left, but not exchanging information with other members.

At least we all ended up as friends.

The next one was the Art Club. It was a peaceful place, I thought that this club is the one. In which I truly belong. However, with the club came assignments. The Art Club wasn’t a leisurely place where you just splash paint unto a canvas and call it a day, everyone was dedicated. They want to master their art forms, whether it is macabre, nude, abstract, or anything. The Art Club is a place where artists want to grow.

In the end, I only angered a member of the club, saying that I’m not taking it seriously. He was right. I couldn’t deny it. Following his outburst, I left the club, my presence a taste of bitterness for them. I feel sorry for reducing their club as a mere hangout place but I can’t say apologize now. I’ve taken to completely avoiding any members.

After a few more searching, I found a club that finally fits the bill. The Photography Club. They do nothing but waste the day away. They don’t try enough and have no aspirations whatsoever. It’s the perfect place for me. Someone who can’t even bring himself to give effort on what he does…

It only took a day to realize that I too, won’t fit in with the club. The current members are already good friends. Sometimes, I see other students not from our school sneak-in just to hang out with the current members of the club. I left, I wasn’t able to form a bond stronger or maybe even equal than what they had with each other.

I definitely won’t join Sports-related club as they are going to take dedication. I already joined the Gardening and Science Club last year… and they were strange clubs, if I must say. I can join them again… this is a new year after all and we get a chance to join again… but… I decided not to. I don’t wanna see weird plants and that Science Club President.

* * *

In my musings, I didn’t notice someone staring at me in confusion until they reached out and tapped my shoulder.

A screech couldn’t be stopped from escaping my lips as I jumped back, surprised by the sudden touch.

Looking back at the source, I saw a brown-haired man with purple eyes. He smiled fondly and chuckled.

“What are you doing?” He asked.

Looking at him in confusion, I noticed that I’m not in the halls anymore. Rather, I’m right at the fountain at the courtyard. My confused expression only made him giggle.

“Do you realize what you’ve been doing this past 5 minutes?”

I looked down in embarrassment, cheeks turning red and temperature rising. “N-no…”

He sits down on the fountain and gave me a smile. “You were circling around this fountain as if someone’s going to steal it! You were patrolling it.” He says, his hands showing a crude representation of a policeman. “All the while you’re muttering, ‘huh…’ ‘hmm…’ and ‘ah…’”

If it’s possible for my face to turn hotter, it would probably be hotter than magma… no, the sun. It would be hotter than the sun. That’s how embarrassed I am right now.

“I… I really did those?”

He laughs. “Yeah! You were like an undeveloped game character! Forever stuck in a loop!”

I sighed, trying to fight the blush on my face. “P-please forget about that…”

“Don’t worry, I’m not evil.” He smiled once again. I can’t help but think that it’s such a nice expression. “Shin Higaku, by the way.”

“Ah! I’m Taro Yamada.”

He looks at me weirdly. “Do your parents hate you? No offence, but that name is lame.”

“No offence taken. My parents are classical.” I sighed.  

He shuffles his feet and pats beside him, urging me to sit with him. I get seated without question. “So… what _were_ you doing? You looked troubled.”

“It’s just…” I sighed. “I’ve been trying to find a club that I can fit in for a while now and it’s not working well…”

“How so?” He asked slowly.

“Every time I join a club, I find myself not enjoying it and eventually quitting.” Taro lowered his head. “It must be because I’m so… normal. I don’t have an ounce of uniqueness… I follow what most people want. I like what most people want… there’s nothing new to me at all…”

“That can’t be true…” He argued.

I disagree with that notion.

“There must be something you want to do… What are your hobbies?”

 _What are your hobbies?_ …God, I hate that question. “I like long walks in the park.”

“That’s so… normal…” He raises a finger. “But! I’m pretty sure there’s something more to it! What do you do in the park?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s normal stuff… y’know… for someone like me…”

“Just tell me! I think we’re on a roll.” He encourages.

I looked to the side, embarrassed. “Well… I go to the park to visit some of the friendlier stray cats. I can’t keep one around me for too long since I’m allergic to them but… I.. I kinda like cats…”

“That’s it!”

“H-huh?” I squeaked confused.

“You like cats despite being allergic to them. That’s a first for a compelling character, yeah? It shows that you are willing to give love, even if it hurts you!” He nods.

“It… it does?”

“Yeah. You’re pretty cool.” He smiles. “So don’t think too much and enjoy life, yeah?”

A small smile formed in my face. “Yeah.”

“So what other things do you like?”

Taro shrinks. “I… I like horror. B-but I can’t stand watching the gory details… but I’m so invested in the story that I try to bear it anyway!”

“Hmm.. horror stories… Why don’t you try getting a book?”

My eyes widened. “A… book? Why would I do that? Movies are the way to go, right?”

“No! Books are good and can be more detailed than what they show in the movies. No scary images either. If you want, I can recommend you a bookstore? It’s like, a street away from the school just the street on the left side of the school gate…”

I slowly turned to stare at his eyes. Again, those purple orbs draw me in. “I’ll try it.”

“Great!” He smiled. “Also… if you have time… would you like to join the club I’m making? The renovations in the room is already done, all I need are members… you’re a cool guy to hang around with… so what do you say?”

I smiled back. “I’d love to, actually.”

“Then, tomorrow, come to my club room. I’ll be waiting for you.” He stands up. “For now, I gotta make club flyers! See ya, Taro!”

With a last wave, we exchanged our goodbyes. The fountain’s sound clears my head and I realized that I’ve been blushing this whole time.

Slapping my cheeks, I shook my head. “I’m gonna go and check that bookstore out.”

* * *

The bookstore was quaint little shop. Squeezed between two establishments, it became hardly noticeable.

Browsing throughout the horror section, I was surprised to see so many interesting summaries behind the books that they got on display. Reaching for my wallet, I found that I can only buy one book while the remaining cash are for the transportation expenses. With a sigh, I browsed through them all and finally found one that interest me.

It was a red book with an ominous purple eye on the cover. The book is titled, “Portrait of Markov”. It has such an interesting premise too.

A religious camp turned to a human experimentation prison? Sign me up.

After paying for the book at the nice old cashier lady, I went on my way. However, not even one step outside the place, from the corner of my eye, the resident delinquent leader from our school, Umeji and his troops can be seen fighting another gang.

I decided to quietly scoot away… however… without warning, an enemy gang member caught me by the collar and had me on headlock. Another member was on his side, holding a baseball bat.

“Let go of our leader or this schoolmate of yours gets hurt!” the headlock guy howled.

The delinquent gave a glare to the member. “Bastard… that’s so pathetic.”

“Hah! Your stupid justice will be your downfall Umeji! Remember that!” the gang member laughed.

Umeji takes a deep breath. “I’m sorry about this.” He muttered, unheard by anyone.

A sharp pain was felt on my head. Everything seemed to turn to black, it was then that I realized, Umeji knocked me out with his bat. The action startled his foes, allowing his comrades to defeat them.

Umeji rushes to my side, however, I can’t hear anything. My consciousness is slowly fading…

.

.

.

* * *

When I woke up, it was already night time, my sister fast-asleep on the corner of my hospital bed, parents talking to the doctor just outside the room. Upon noticing me up and about, they both rushed in and hugged me.

“Taro! My boy! I’m glad that you’re safe!”

I touched my throbbing head. “W-what happened?”

“You were attacked by delinquents.” Mother explained. “How much do you remember?”

I scratched my head. “I… I can’t remember anything at all…”

The doctor steps in. “It seems he can’t recall anything that happened on that day.”

“That day?” I asked in confusion. “H-how long have I been asleep…?”

“It’s been a month dear.” Mother cried.

The doctor leads the my parents away, seemingly trying to continue the past conversation they had when I was still unconscious.

From the little tidbits that I heard, the school intervened and asked that it was to not be made public in fear of the incident bringing the school’s reputation down. No newspapers exist that detail this incident, nor can interviews be made possible.

I looked down at my hands and tried to remember… however, only two things came to mind, the small fountain in the courtyard and a small smile from a person that I don’t know.

Or maybe I do know him…?

I looked at the bedside cabinet. On top of it was a book.

Somehow, the eye on the cover seemed to constrict my chest.

I sighed and looked out of the window.

“Maybe if I hang around the fountain… I can see him again?”

Somehow, I have a bad feeling in my gut. Like I'm missing something important. I can only hope he doesn't hate me for not remembering him.

**Author's Note:**

> You might wonder why Shin doesn't call out Taro for not even recognizing him or even coming to his club... there's a reason for that too! It's actually connected to Chojo. Yes, pretty soon you're going to see a fanfic about Shin forming the Occult Club. 
> 
> (It's still benched as I haven't formed Daku and Kokuma's backstory yet... let me know if you want to see it! Support gives me a strange power called 'Determination'!)
> 
> The whole series has become a full circle. Connecting to the delinquents, to the members of his club and to his love interests as well. 
> 
> "Why is the title Heath?"
> 
> A: The heath, more commonly known in Japan as "Erika", is a flower that means "happy love" however it has another meaning. Heath grows and can survive in the wastelands, devoid of other plants. That's how it got its other meanings which is: "Isolation", "Loneliness", and "Betrayal".
> 
> It's pretty sad. He feels isolated from others and can't form a strong connection and he doesn't realize that he betrayed someone's trust just by the simple fact that he lost his memories on that day.


End file.
